OPSP Network meeting 21 Sept 2017at Open Age, the Avenues

  1. Apologies: Tessa Jelen (Breathe Easy Westminster); Charlotte Ferguson (Westminster Libraries); Caroline Gandy-Brown (the Abbey Centre)
  2. Introductions (please see list for attendees, email contact and organisation, below)
  1. Priorities for the Network to focus on

People split into three groups to discuss and suggest current and future priority issues facing older people and services in Westminster. The full list of suggestions was:

  1. Transport – available; personalised; including accessissues e.g. pavement conditions.
  2. Loneliness and isolation – reaching the isolated
  3. Care at home – issues with reduced statutory services and failures to assist setting up care services whether or not paid for.
  4. People living in care homes – lack of activities; volunteers; multi-age approaches
  5. Activities – usually daytime, is this best?
  6. City West Homes – failure to do repairs or provide needed facilities in timely way (if at all).
  7. Malnutrition
  8. Integration of services: health with social care; better communication between organisations; info share; services guide; care co-ordinators and GP/community awareness.
  9. Empowering and respecting users
  10. Responding to CCG cuts e.g. podiatry
  11. Preventive work – preventing isolation, physical and mental ill health.
  12. Mental Health
  13. Dementia

Dot-voting by attendees indicated that 1. Transport; 2. Integration of Services; and 3. Isolation were the three priorities we should work on.

It was agreed that empowering and respecting users was a key theme underlying all these issues. Reaching the most isolated was also a general underlying theme.

Next meeting will therefore focus on Transport.

  1. Sharing good practice

Natalie suggested that the Network should also have regular space for members to share good practice, ask questions, share information. It was agreed that this would be very useful - that there should in future be time on the Agenda for this to happen.

  1. Date and venue of next meeting: tbc.

Any items for the next Agenda, or to be shared meanwhile with the Network, please contact Emma:

Name / Organisation / Email
Sara Murphy / KCSC /
Reena Mukherji / Octavia Foundation /
Rose Alexander / Fitzrovia Community Centre /
Natalie Castro / One Westminster /
Alexandra Kerswell / Open Age /
Louise Abbott / AgeUK Westminster /
Zannah Cooper / Open Age /
Mohammed Mansour / One Westminster /
Ritushree Guha / The Advocacy Project /
Samantha Palmer / The Advocacy Project /
Francis Ngale / Carers Network /
George Wallis / The Abbey Centre /
Anna Porta / Westway CT /
Emma Nutland / Resonate Arts (ex- Westminster Arts) /
Doris Kahnes / WSPM Agape Community Project /
Olivia Clymer / Healthwatch /
David Hogarth / Neighbourcare /
Helen Leech / Open Age /
Claire Hoggan / Open Age /